Carmen and the Devil
by GhostOfAMelody
Summary: The apocalypse arrives way back when it was supposed to and a young woman finds herself walking side by side with the devil, right into the heart of it.
1. The Apocalypse Is The Real Deal

The characters I created and the town of CherryBrook are the only things I own.

All other rights belong to Supernatural.

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"...County has been placed under quarantine following the outbreak of an unknown disease that has people literally tearing each other from limb to limb..."

_click_

"...Police report that 20 people were found dead in a popular local cafe this morning. Cause of death hasn't been released but a source claims that they had eaten themselves to death..."

_click_

"As the swine flu virus continues to spread doctors are urging everyone to get themselves vaccinated and avoid contact with anyone infected..."

With a final click the tv snapped to black. Nearly every channel had some sort of evacuation alert or update on another disaster. Flooding in the east, fires in the west, and disease across every border. Hell, I was smack dab in the middle of it all. I'm not surprised my town had been spared from it though. Cherrybrook was comprised of two types of people; those who were resigned to spending the rest of their life here and the people like me who spoke of leaving but never could. I couldn't begin to explain to you the number of times I tried to get out, jumping into my '79 Chevy Silverado, driving until the sun was to my back and a feeling of freedom filled my chest. But I always came back. Sheepishly though, it seemed, and always in the dead of night as though it were a shameful thing to have to left in the first place. People rarely passed through, the town wasn't exactly a hotspot and there was not even a main highway highest running through it to garner us at least a few more cars. We got the occasional lost tourist, and slightly more often, a curious group of teenagers who had the notion that it was a ghost town. I don't really blame them, from the outside looking in, the mouldy wooden buildings with sagging roofs seem deserted. But they're not. With 500 citizens we're hardly a bustling metropolis but the number never wavers either; people are born, people die, people try to leave but they always come back. No exception.

I didn't have too many friends here, I wasn't a loner by any stretch but there weren't many people my age that I wanted to spend time with. My closest friend, Alannah, had passed away some time ago. Like me, she had always wanted to escape and one day she had announced she was leaving, the next day she was dead. She was found on the pavement outside her house, blood splattered like angel wings, Cherrybrook's one and only unsolved murder. As with any case, suspicions were raised and it was months before people would leave the house at night but her name soon died from everyone's lips, mine included. Everything went back to normal except for this dream I kept having. A nightmare of sorts. In it I would be sixteen again, lying on the hood of an old dodge with Alannah by my side, each of us clutching a beer stolen from our respective fathers' stashes, two pairs of hazel eyes fixed firmly on the stars that would be the whole dream, the two of us just watching the stars until I finally awoke bathed in a cold sweat. It was a dream that wouldn't scare most people but never failed set my heart racing. Perhaps it was because I always had it right before something bad happened; the day my dog got hit by a car, the morning my mom was diagnosed with cancer, when a tree came crashing through my bedroom window. I had it again that night, right after I shut off the TV to go to bed. That night when the sky filled with smoke and air turned to ash.


	2. The Devil Came Down To CherryBrook

My characters are my own, everything else belongs to Supernatural.

Once again, reviews are welcome and appreciated.

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I think it was the light that woke me up, not the sharp sting of smoke as it billowed through my open window, nor the roar of the fire that reduced the cries of those lost in it to mere whispers. It was the light that illuminated my room in an orange haze and cast shadows that danced along the walls. Panicking at the intensity of the flames outside, I grabbed what I could shove in a backpack and ran out the door just in time to see my world crumble around me. Almost all the buildings save for a few, my own included, were fueling the fires I had seen from my window. There was a sudden loud cracking noise and I ducked just in time to avoid pieces of falling glass as the house next to mine's windows exploded outwards with a violent force. Shaking now, I stumbled my way down the street only to trip over a something on the road and end up sprawled in the dust, my face inches away from that of the local grocer's. His neck had been twisted around so many times that the skin had begun to tear but I suspect he had been long dead before that happened. Momentary paralysis took hold as I watched the small streams of blood trickle down from the tears and drop softly onto the road, soaking in to the tar almost instantly.

At that moment, a pair of arms grabbed hold of my shoulders and jerked me upwards with such force that it caused my mystery saviour and I to wobble dangerously for several seconds as we both fought to regain our balance. Blinking furiously to rid my eyes of smoke, I recognized the person, a woman to be exact, as my hairstylist, Lynn. Her clothing was badly singed and one arm had extensive burns along it but she seemed not to care. Wordlessly, she grabbed a hold of my hand and dragged us both down Main Street, or rather, what had become of it; the large intersection that had marked the centre of the town had been reduced to nothing more than a smoking crater, all around it smouldering ruins marked where everyday businesses had once stood. I had spent my whole life fighting to leave this town and now I realized that I had nothing without it.

Further still we went, past the now flaming town sign, beyond the beginning of the highway, finally ending up in the woods just off to the side of it. I had spent many an afternoon exploring them or just reading beside the stream. Fine during the day, under nightfall the trees now looked sinister and twisted, my panic did not settle as we plunged into them, dodging past thorns and berry bushes alike. Eventually we came across a clearing, one I had not seen before but would've appreciated in any other situation. Lynn stopped suddenly and the reason for was not immediately obvious until I noticed the shape moving along the tree line. It moved closer to the middle of the circle and as moonlight hit the figure it was revealed to be a rather tall man, impressive in both stature and presence. Lynn began to back away slowly and the man held up his left hand and snapped his fingers. A great gout of warm blood hit me as Lynn exploded into dozens of small chunks of flesh. The man looked over in my direction and raised an eyebrow as though challenging me to make the same mistake she had. Taking a deep breath and using all my will power I took a slow, tentative step towards him, something he was not expecting.

"Ah, you're braver than you look." He smirked broadly.

"Who are you?" My voice did not betray my true emotions, something I was glad for.

"My name is Lucifer."


	3. A Beige, Beige Day

I own nothing but my own characters!

Annnd the town of Edgecliff because I don't think it actually exists.

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"Bullshit."

Lucifer looked at me in disbelief. "Pardon?"

"Oh nothing, just, you know, it's nice to finally meet you, Satan! I feel like I should introduce myself, I'm Maggie Thatcher. Why don't we head up to my house on the Big Rock Candy Mountain and party with the Easter Bunny?" Sarcasm was probably not the best idea when dealing with someone who had reduced my hairstylist to a pile of bloody flesh on the ground but it was my natural defence.

"I get the sense you find this amusing."

"How's God by the way? Everyone says he's nice but I bet he's an asshole…Not that you'd know I suppose…" I overstepped the line big time. Lucifer's face darkened considerably and his mouth pressed into a thin hard line. I was the proud receiver of Satan's bitch-face.

"You think you're so cocky now? Let me show you something." Before I could react, he reached out and grabbed my arm and after several confusing seconds of complete darkness, I found myself standing in front of a large, grey building that proclaimed "Edgecliff University Hospital" in large block letters. It was a building I knew all too well.

I whirled around to face Lucifer who was now smirking again. "How the fuck do you know this place? How do you know me?"

"Easy, you're Carmen Serino, twenty-three years old and live-lived- in the former sleepy town of CherryBrook. You have three sisters and a mother and father who divorced when you were fourteen. Two years ago your mother was diagnosed with stage III lung cancer and-" I didn't hear the rest of the sentence as I was too busy sprinting into the building, racing down the twisting white corridors by pure habit. I barely noticed the overturned gurneys and dead plants, dodging them with ease until I made the final right-hand turn. Catching myself on the wall, I choked backed the rising bile in my throat as I stared at the motionless elderly man in front of me. His stomach was distended to an unnatural amount and a greenish tinge had begun to pigment his skin. The smell of decay hung heavy in the air and my eyes watered as I fought to take back control of my heaving stomach. It was only then that I noticed Lucifer shadowing me; he seemed completely unbothered by the whole situation.

"What did you expect? You think you were the first town to be affected by the apocalypse?" I ignored his comment as I held my breath and gingerly stepped around the body, trying to avoid the fluids that had begun to seep out from beneath it. Breathing into the sleeve of my sweater now as to avoid the smell, I made my way towards the rather unremarkable door at the end of the hallway. The numbers "146" were already ingrained deeply enough in my mind but the sight of them brought the familiar sensation of anxiety I always got when I saw them. I turned the knob, expecting to feel resistance from the lock but received none, and cautiously pushed it open.

"Mom? Mommy?" I stepped into the room and was immediately met with the same smell of decay that lay in the corridor. The room was almost exactly how I remember it; The drab, grey drapes that mom always complained about that surrounded the small window, the white-wash walls, the bedside table with the vase of flowers and cards on it, all the medical equipment I never could remember the names of, and lastly the bed where my mother lay. It was all there. And then my memory snapped off and I realized how different it had become. The flowers were dead, the stems drooping and the petals black, the window streamed in fading sunlight that illuminated the dust particles covering every surface and there was no longer the familiar hiss and wheeze of the respirator. The last change was my mother herself. I remember her being gaunt and pale the last time I asked, but never this gaunt, not this pale.

"Mama? Mommy, I'm here, please wake up!" My voice cracked pitifully and I choked back tears as I sat on the small aluminum chair next to the bed. Tentatively I reached out a hand to lay on hers; it was ice cold. The tears flowed freely now as I took in her sunken eyes and cheeks, the flies that crawled in and out of her nose and mouth. The sheets on the bed had been stained a dark, ghastly colour from whatever fluids had seeped out of her shrunken body; she had been dead awhile. I heard footsteps enter the room slowly and I could feel my blood began to boil.

"What did you do to her?" I hissed through clamped teeth, gripping tightly to my mother's hand.

"Nothing." Came the almost bored sounding response.

"You killed her, you fucking monster! No wonder they threw you out of your own home, you disgusting pig." My rage was no longer in check and came forth stronger than it ever had before. Lucifer seemed surprised by my outburst but not bothered by it.

"Ah, so now you believe me?"

"No one else could do such a despicable thing." His smug face disgusted me and if I hadn't been holding my mother's hand there would've been nothing to stop me from punching it. He nonchalantly walked over to the bedside table and delicately picked up a small pink card.

"What's this? A card from you? 'Dear mom, I hope you are feeling better and that the treatments are going well. See you soon. Love, Carmen.' And signed with a little heart at the bottom, how cute! But you never did visit after you sent this did you? It's been awhile since you have because you couldn't bear to see her in this state, you couldn't bear the burden of her illness. And now look, if only you had been there for her…" His voice was mocking, growing gradually softer and softer until it trailed off. The worst part was the truth that rang through it; It had been awhile since I had visited. I hadn't been able to bear the sight of her thin, weak face that had haunted my dreams after every previous visit.

"Leave." My tone left no room for options, I needed him out.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me just fine," I gritted my teeth again. "Get out of here."

I waited in silence for many a minute until I heard his footsteps retreat into the corridor and then down the hall until they faded away. Letting out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding in, I allowed myself to cry again, in peace this time. After a brief crying jag, I found myself unable to do anything but lay my head on the edge of the bed and grip tightly to the only thing left of the woman I should have never taken for granted. The sun sunk low into the horizon and then disappeared completely, giving way to the moonlight that started to leak in through the gaps in the blinds. I sat up again and felt a moment's hope as warmth seeped through my mother's hand. But quickly realized that it was from being clasped between my own palms and the hope slipped away once more leaving me unable to feel much of anything. I stood up and pulled the sheet over her face and then slowly walked towards the door for the last time; I wouldn't be returning here ever again. Walking to the exit, I found myself not even registering disgust as I stepped over the body and walked past the many more I knew lay hidden behind the closed doors. Out in the fresh air once more, I took quick notice of a rather seedy hotel just a few blocks over. The registration desk was predictably abandoned and I reached over and selected a key at random before walking down the strip to where the room was. Stepping inside, I was surprised to find that the light's still worked although my hope for running water was quickly dashed as the taps yielded nothing when turned. Settling down on the beige bed, I took a strange fascination in the uniformity of the room. Everything was beige; beige carpets, beige bedspread, beige lampshade. Beige, beige and more beige. Almost how my mood felt at the moment, strangely muted and neutral. The colour exhausted me and I flopped back on the bed, not bothering to kick off my shoes or get under the covers.

I had the familiar, old nightmare. The hood of the truck, the bitter beer, the stars in the sky, it was all there. I turned my head to look over at Alannah only to see my mother as she had been like at the hospital. Her decaying lips turned upwards into a twisted grin as she gazed back at me with sightless eyes. I felt sick again and watched in horror as her face transformed into that of Lucifer's, smug as ever with dark eyes that seemed deeper than the very pit of hell. His lips too, turned up into a smile as the dodge combusted with no warning whatsoever and I could do nothing but shriek as I my skin charred. Jerking awake, I scrambled off the bed and hit the floor with a heavy thud. My dream hadn't been wrong, the room around me was ablaze.


	4. Maggots Make A Terrible Breakfast

I own only my own characters.

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My panic reached a new level as the smoke engulfed the room and my throat began to close as it filtered into my airways. Coughing uncontrollably, I crawled across the floor to the door and reached up to grab the doorknob, burning my hand as I did. Crying out in pain, I blindly searched around for something to use on the door managing to find a mostly untouched towel that sat on a chair. I threw open the door and threw myself outside, covering my face in anticipation of the backdraft that would surely follow. Remarkably, there was none. I lay in petrified silence, still waiting to feel the blast of heat rush over me every though the door had been open for quite awhile now.

"What are you doing?" A politely confused voice drifted over me and I responded in a muffled voice.

"Keeping out of the way of the backdraft." I spoke to the pavement.

"What backdraft? Don't you need a fire for that to happen?" I looked up in confusion and spun around to look at the room. It looked entirely normal, no scorch marks, no nothing. I turned to look up at Lucifer.

"You did this didn't you?" My eyes narrowed as realization and humiliation flooded through my body.

"Maybe. After the events of yesterday I figured I needed a good icebreaker and you needed a wake up call. Breakfast?" He held up a paper bag, which I eyed suspiciously. Part of me urged strongly against accepting anything from someone who had lit my room on fire for fun. Nevertheless, hunger won over and I stood up, brushed the dirt off my pants, and snatched the bag from his hands and dug through it as I walked back into the room. The bag contained a spoon, a Styrofoam container of what I expected to be porridge, and a large blueberry muffin. Lucifer took a seat on the tv stand and watched as I devoured the muffin and moved onto the porridge, something I had never been a huge fan of but couldn't stop eating now.

"How are the maggots today?"

I looked up in confusion. "Pardon?"

"The maggots, the ones you're eating." My stomach began to heave again as I dropped my eyes and stared into the wriggling mass of little pale bodies. I had been eating maggots.

"Ewww…Ew! Why would you give me that?" I shrieked, throwing the bowl on the floor and gagging loudly as the sensation of them crawling down my throat overtook me.

"Jeez, I've never seen anyone react so badly to porridge.." He was smirking again, an expression that I think was his only one apart from the major bitch-face. I glanced down at the floor to see a perfectly normal bowl of porridge on it.

"That's not funny, Lucifer," I grumbled as I folded my arms and sat down on the bed with a huff. My appetite was unsurprisingly gone at this point and I wasn't going to try and finish the porridge. "Why are you here anyways? Come to apologize?"

"For what?" He seemed genuinely confused at this point.

"For killing my mother." I watched as a look of annoyance crossed his face and he sighed heavily.

"Let me tell you a story," He began peevishly. "I'll title it 'How the apocalypse really happened' and It doesn't start with me, but with two boys, Sam and Dean Winchester. You see, they broke the last seal, they set me free, and the rest is history. I honestly can't be blamed for everything. If you want someone to blame for killing your mother, then blame mankind. When the Croatoan virus reached this little town, anyone with any ounce of common sense fled. Unfortunately for some people, your mother included, that meant the doctors did too. Receiving no care, cut off from all support, your dear old mom just wasted away. I didn't kill her, your people abandoned her. End of story."

"Croatoan virus? What's that? And since when are you the innocent victim in all this?" My eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.

"You don't want to know and you'd better hope you never find out. And just so you're aware, the angels are as much at fault for the destruction as I am. It's their battle too." My excitement soared at the word "angels."

"There are angels here too? On earth? Right now? What are they like?" I had been fascinated at the idea of angels as a child and hearing that they weren't some childhood fantasy made me overly excited.

"Oh calm down, they're not at all as you would imagine. I'll be the first to say that my brothers and sisters can all be pompous assholes given the opportunity. Now grab your bag, I have stuff to do today." Bitch-face was back and I found myself wordlessly obeying and had to bite my tongue against the rising flood of comebacks I had, all of which would earn me another bowl of maggots. I waited until we had left the room and headed down the street before I bombarded him with questions again.

"Where are we going exactly? There's not gonna be anyone scary is there? Are there demons nearby? Am I gonna get to meet the Winchesters?" He looked exasperated at my constant commentary and a quick glare shut me up for the remainder of our walk until Lucifer stopped suddenly. I walked straight into his back and awkwardly peered around his shoulder to see the reason for the sudden halt. Further down the street stood two men conversing in quiet. Lucifer started walking again and picked up speed as he headed straight for them. After a few seconds both of them looked up from the conversation and noticed us heading towards them. The man on the left, who was slightly bowlegged and wore a dark green jacket, looked astonished to see us. His jaw dropped and he began calling out to Lucifer as he ran in our direction.

"SAMMY! Sam, where have you been?"


	5. Angels And Demons Don't Mix

I only own my characters.

I apologize if this chapter seems to move rather quickly but I only really included it for introduction purposes.

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The bowlegged man got within three feet of Lucifer before stopping suddenly. I don't really blame him though; Lucifer had a sort of sickly smile on his face that made me uneasy.

"Sam? Are you okay?" The man whispered quietly, not taking his eyes off Lucifer's.

"Sam hasn't been around for awhile now, Dean. I thought that would've been obvious by now." Lucifer's attempt at pity came out mocking and Dean angered considerably.

"What are you doing here, Lucifer?" The man behind Dean said in a low, gravelly voice. He wore a tan coloured trench coat and I had oddly expected his voice to be squeaky.

"Don't speak to your brother that way, Castiel. My business is entirely my own." Lucifer took no notice of the very apparent hostility in the other men's tones and it was a few more seconds before Dean noticed me standing off to the side.

"Too scared to come here by yourself? Had to bring one of your black-eyes freaks for protection?" As Dean gestured towards me I felt both self-conscious and confused. "Black-eyed freak" was not an insult I had ever heard before and I wondered if it was some sort of demon talk.

"Funnily enough Dean, she's human just like you. It never hurts to have a spare vessel around and I happened to come across this one as I burnt her home down."

"Let the woman go. It's no use dragging innocent people into your mess." Castiel spoke before Dean could and I felt a strange rush of gratitude towards him. His tie was on backwards but he seemed nice.

"She's probably working with him, Cas. She doesn't seem like she's in any hurry to escape." Dean made a movement in my direction and Lucifer took a step in front of me. As he did so, a look crossed Dean's face that I couldn't read but made me feel more uneasy all the same.

"You never change, Dean. It's a shame you'll never say yes to Michael. You would be a worthy adversary."

"Give my brother back, you bastard. Give him back or I swear to god I will kill you." Dean's voice cracked at the end and he furiously blinked back tears. My heart went out to him but his previous actions stopped me short of offering any condolences.

"You know I can't do that, Dean, just as well as I know you'll never stop trying. Perhaps I'll see you again soon." Before either of the other two men could respond, Lucifer reached out and put a hand on my shoulder, transporting both of us back to the beige hotel.

"I'll send someone over shortly to make sure you don't do anything stupid. I have stuff to do that really doesn't involve you." He was gone again before I could protest.

"I DON'T NEED A BABYSITTER!" I shouted to a random point in the sky before stomping back inside the room and collapsing on the bed. His lack of trust angered me at first but I quickly remembered whom I was dealing with. What confused me the most was our encounter with Dean and Castiel. I clearly didn't know anything about them so the hostilities on either side were lost on me. And I couldn't understand why Dean was so adamant that Lucifer was his brother Sam. After ten minutes of staring up at the ceiling, I felt compelled to learn more about everything so I flipped over onto my stomach and dug around in the side table until I found was I was looking for; the mandatory hotel bible. I scanned through several pages, trying to absorb as much as I could but finding that I constantly had to go back and reread passages I had forgotten.

"A bit of light reading?" A voice out of nowhere caused me to jump several feet in the air and drop the book on the book on the ground with a large thump. Standing near the door was a woman with long brown hair and dark eyes that kept momentarily flashing black.

"You could knock!" I gasped out at her, placing a hand over my pounding heart. "Who are you anyways?"

"Your caretaker for the evening. Although I don't get what father sees in you." She cocked her head curiously at me and narrowed her eyes slightly before turning on the small TV and taking a seat on the chair across from it.

" I don't need someone to take care of me. I'm an adult." I grumbled but she only spared a quick sidelong glance at me before turning her attention back to the TV where Oprah was currently giving everyone a free day at the spa. We stayed like that for a couple hours, her watching Oprah reruns, me watching her, the bible lying forgotten on the floor. As it started to get dark again outside, three curt knocks on the door echoed throughout the room. Both my babysitter and I stood up to answer it but she shot me a glare and gestured for me to sit back down as she approached the door cautiously. There was no peephole for her to look through so she put on a fake smile, I suspected she thought it would be room service or something, and opened the door. The smile quickly faded as a tired looking man in black suit walked in.

"Crowley. What are you doing here? I wasn't expecting you." She spoke carefully, weighing each word and giving him a wide berth.

"Yes, well, the boss needs you, Love. I'm here to take over for awhile." The man spoke with a crisp British accent and waved his hand, carelessly dismissing her.

She didn't buy it. "Why would father send you? Last time I checked, you weren't exactly on speaking terms."

"Exactly why he sent me. You see, I'm not important, rather expendable as it is. He needs you for the more important stuff and surely babysitting isn't befitting of your rank. So I'll stay here while you go do your errands. You might want to be quick about it, he didn't seem in the best mood when I left." She looked as though she was going to protest to this but the effect of his flattery shone in her eyes. She gave a curt nod in my direction and was about to head out the door when she stopped in her tracks. I followed her gaze to a black Chevy Impala in the parking lot. She whirled around to face Crowley but before she could say anything, Dean jumped around the corner and stuck a knife straight into her back. A scream filled the air, as did a cloud of impenetrable black smoke that shot out the window as her body collapsed to the floor. Dean absentmindedly kicked it out of the way as he entered the room, closely followed by Castiel.

"Good work, Crowley. I don't imagine we have long though. Help me get her to the car, I doubt she'll come quietly." Dean said as all three of the men converged on me and everything suddenly went dark.


	6. Family Ties Are The Tightest

I own only my characters.

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My head pounded and my throat felt painfully dry as I slowly started to wake up. I tried to move my hands to rub my eyes but something was holding them. As I desperately tried to sort out my foggy thoughts, memories came flooding back to me. Lucifer sending me a babysitter. The black smoke as she was stabbed. Dean, Castiel and Crowley closing in on me all at once.

I had been kidnapped.

My eyes flew open and I struggled once more with the bonds that held my wrists painfully tight behind my back. As I came to realize that my hands were zip tied, I gave up struggling and stared exasperatedly around the room. It was another hotel room but had more amenities than the last; two queen-sized beds, a flat screen TV mounted to the wall, a mini fridge, a large wooden table currently occupied by my kidnappers themselves. They were conversing in quiet and hadn't seemed to notice I was awake yet. It was only when I cleared my throat loudly that Castiel and Crowley looked over while Dean stared pointedly at the table.

"I can't stop the apocalypse. I don't know Lucifer's weaknesses or secrets. I don't know you and you don't know me. Just please let me go. I mean nothing to you." I was neither angry nor scared, just tired.

"You mean something to him and if that's a chance to get my brother back then I'm going to take it." Dean spoke to the table and I realized that he was afraid to look at me.

"Mean something to him? This is the devil we're talking about. When was the last time he cared about anybody?" I kept my tone light but I couldn't help but think of how Lucifer had stepped in front of me to protect me from Dean. It had been just that, an act of protection.

"Maybe so but you're the closest we've had to a plan in awhile and I'm not gonna let this one go."

"I'm not just a piece of meat, you don't decide what I do. And by the way, I'm gonna need you to take off these zip ties really soon."

"Why? So you can run right back to Lucifer? Not happening."

"I have to pee."

This threw Dean for a loop and I watched his face as he weighed his options. I could briefly see him considering just leaving me tied up but he must've realized the repercussions as a look of disgust crossed his face and he got up and pulled out a large hunting knife from his jacket.

"Alright, I'll release you for now. But Cas is going with you so you don't escape." He cut through the zip ties quickly, nicking me with the knife in his hurry.

"I will not have someone else go to the bathroom with me! That's an invasion of privacy." I rubbed my sore wrists and glared at Dean from over the back of the chair.

He shrugged. "Suit yourself, I'll just put the zip ties back on and you can pee your pants for all I care."

I ended up using the bathroom with Castiel facing the corner as I went. It was uncomfortable for us both but I didn't want to push Dean too far.

"You know, Dean's not so bad normally. He just misses his brother." Cas said staring fixedly at the blue tile flooring as I got up and flushed the toilet.

"Oh yeah? He has a funny way of showing it. Most of my family is missing and I haven't kidnapped anyone yet." I snapped as I washed my hands. Cas turned around frowning and the lines in his forehead creased even more as he took in the state of my wrists. The zip ties had rubbed some of the skin raw and a small stream of blood flowed over my left hand.

"I'm sorry." He whispered as he took both my wrists in his hands and within seconds they were healed again. I tried to thank him but a lump grew in my throat so I simply wrapped my arms around him and buried my face in his shoulder. He didn't put his arms around me but he also didn't move away and stayed stock still until I managed to gain back control over my emotions. Brushing the tears off my face with the back of my hand, I took a deep breath and brushed past Cas to go and confront Dean. He was back at his spot at the table, rubbing a hand over his face in exhaustion.

"If I help you...You have to help me find the rest of my family." A hopeful look passed over his face and he slowly lowered his hand.

"Do you know where they are?" He asked suspiciously. He knew it wasn't going to be this easy.

"No. I don't even know if they're still alive. But you of all people should understand my desire to be with family and so it's my one and only condition to be honoured. I won't help you without it." My throat was still dry so the words came out hoarse still, but not as weak as before. I walked over to the mini fridge and grabbed myself a bottle of water before sitting down across from Dean. Crowley had left and Cas still stood in the bathroom so we were virtually alone.

"What do you need me to do? And please remember that I'm not just some prop, I'm a person." I said this carefully and watched as he smiled slightly.

"Then you're really not gonna like what I have to say next."

"Why?" I was instantly suspicious again.

"I need you to be bait."


	7. Twelve-Year Old With A Shotgun

I own only my characters!

Here's a slightly longer chapter to make up for the shorter ones.

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Bait. Not my idea of a good time. I stared at Dean for a few minutes, half expecting him to laugh and say I just needed to pick up dry cleaning or something but it quickly became apparent that he was serious.

"Let me get this straight. You want to sacrifice me, a girl you've just met and kidnapped without even bothering to learn her name, in the hopes that maybe you'll get your brother back?" He opened his mouth to protest but I glared at him and continued. " Not only does that sound far fetched but this is also Lucifer we're talking about. He'll kill all of you before you even get to step two of your plan."

"It's our only chance and I have a plan that will work. Trust me when I say that getting my brother back would be great but I'm in this to kill Lucifer." He looked as though he had more to say but Cas piped up suddenly from the bathroom.

"What is your name?"

"Thank you, Castiel. At least someone here gives a damn." I spoke directly to Dean as I said this. "And frankly Dean, you could have the best laid plan in the world and all it would take was one slip up to make this situation even worse. From what I've seen, everything has gone to shit in this country and I imagine it's not much better anywhere else. It's gonna take a hell of a lot to convince me to help you."

"Fine. Where does your family? That's all I need to know to convince you." I told him and watched as he went to go talk to Cas. They conversed quietly for a few minutes and then both walked over to where I stood, already knowing what they were planning, and Cas reached out and touched Dean and I's foreheads. There was the usual few seconds of darkness before we arrived in front of an old yellow house with a sloped roof and chipped, white-bordered windows. I didn't acknowledge the other two or say anything as I walked along the familiar stone path, past the carefully cultivated hedges and the two large oak trees that stood on either side of the porch. My childhood home hadn't changed a bit and yet I felt like a stranger approaching it. It had been three years since I had been back here, choosing to invite my family over rather than visit because I knew once I came back here I would never leave. Taking a deep breath I pressed the doorbell and closed my eyes hoping that everyone was safe but that no one would answer. After a few minutes, I turned around to go back to where Dean and Cas stood on the edge of the lawn but the front door creaked open behind me. Feeling elated, I whipped back around only to be confronted with the barrel of a very large shotgun being held by my youngest sister, Elsie.

"Elsie? Can you put the shotgun down please? It's me, Carmen, you don't have to hurt me." I spoke softly and she lowered the gun but only slightly.

"How do I know it's really you? My sister could've died for all I know and you could be an imposter." Hearing these words come from my twelve-year-old sister made me vaguely uncomfortable.

"It's really me, trust me. I didn't die alright, can I come in?"

"Who are they?" She turned the shotgun on Dean and Cas who both raised their hands up in surprise.

"Friends of mine! Don't hurt them, and give me the gun before you hurt yourself." My sisterly instincts took over and I snatched the gun away from her and shoved her inside the house.

"Elsie? Who was at the door?" my dad's voice floated over from the kitchen and I couldn't stop the grin that spread across my face as I ran through the living room. When I got to the kitchen, my welcome was less than warm. My dad pulled a rifle off the counter and aimed it at me while my other sister Annabelle hid under the table.

"Why does everyone have a gun in this house? We never used to have guns." I squeaked as I raised my hands slowly and cowered under my dad's glare.

"Who are you and what do you want?"

"It's me, Your daughter! I'm not some imposter, I promise! Why does no one believe me? Some homecoming this is." I dropped my hands and my dad lowered his gun slowly, all whilst eyeing me suspiciously.

"It's because we thought you were dead!" Annabelle piped in from under the table and then covered her mouth quickly with her hand. At sixteen she somehow always managed to act like a five year old. At that moment Dean and Cas walked into the kitchen, closely followed by Elsie who had her gun pointed at their backs.

"Can you tell your sister to lower that thing?" Dean said in a scared voice.

"Are you armed?" She poked the barrel into his shoulder.

"Well yes," She placed her finger over the trigger. "But I'm not gonna use it so will you please stop?" Elsie loosened her grip on the shotgun and Dean took the opportunity to wrestle it out of her hands. They engaged in some sort of awkward tug of war as my dad strode over and placed his gun against Dean's head and Annabelle began to scream.

"ENOUGH!" Everyone jumped at the sound of my voice. "Get a grip all of you! Annabelle, shut the hell up. Elsie take your hands off the shotgun, you don't know how to use one, and Dad, put the goddamn gun down!" They all meekly obeyed my orders but eyed one another suspiciously.

"Thank you, now can I have a hug please? I wasn't even sure if any of you were alive before I came here." The tension broke and my dad and sisters rushed into my open arms. The feeling of knowing they were safe trumped everything bad that had happened in the last few days. I couldn't help but noticed the sad look that passed over Dean's face as he took in the four of us. My smile dropped at the corners as I scanned the room quickly, there was someone missing.

"Where's Maria?" My older sister didn't seem to be in the room. At twenty-five she was the closest in age to me and we shared a deep love of Aerosmith and terribly uncomfortable high heels. Vastly different we nonetheless complimented each other's personalities; she would stay out late partying and I would stay at home and wait up for her, curled up on the couch pretending to watch TV while really listening for her footsteps on the porch. She had stayed at home when I had left, citing that my dad couldn't function without someone capable in the house but really unable to finance her active lifestyle without his wallet.

"She….She left to go get food," My quickly raised hopes were dashed once more as Annabelle went on. " We haven't seen her in six days."

"Have you heard from mom?" Elsie's question was innocent enough but I hated her for asking it.

"Nope. Not a word. I imagine she was evacuated somewhere." My lie came out hollow sounding and the smile that went along with it had no substance to it. Luckily for me, it was convincing enough and my sisters nodded their heads solemnly before filling me in on their experience with the apocalypse. It had started out simply enough with one of the neighbours running down the street attacking anyone who came near him and escalated to my dad having to barricade the door against the rest of the people on the block as they fought to break it down.

"Croats…" Dean whispered quietly and I was reminded of the virus that Lucifer had mentioned back in the hotel.

"Do you want your old room tonight? Elsie and I have been using it since the windows easiest to block off but we can all share and your friends can have the spare room. The more people, the better because then we can sleep longer in-between guard shifts." Annabelle smiled happily up at me and I felt my heart sink. She thought I was here to stay.

"I'm not staying here…I have to go back and help out…." My voice faltered as I watched three faces simultaneously drop.

"Help with what? What's so important that you don't want to stay with your family? You only just got back, you can't leave us again." My dad's normally gruff voice cracked with emotion and I avoided his gaze.

"I can stop this whole mess…..I've been given the chance to potentially save the world or at least this part of it!" I tried to keep my voice light but it was no use.

"We can help you. You can't do this alone." Elsie's comment caught me off guard. I looked over and saw not a twelve-year old girl but a young woman forced to grow up too fast. With Maria missing and Annabelle certainly not capable of stepping up to the plate, it was Elsie who had had to be the woman of the house. My dad had never been good at taking imitative so I could only imagine the hardships that Elsie was facing to keep the family together. And here I was trying to tear it apart.

"No, you can't. This is something I have to do to keep you guys safe. I couldn't live with myself if I knew I was putting you at risk by letting you help. And besides, I won't be alone." I smiled slightly at Dean who nodded his head in approval. I knew we couldn't stay much longer but there was one thing I had to do. Walking down the hall, I opened the third door on the right and walked into my old room. It hadn't been touched since I had left and the only change was the addition of an air mattress on the floor where my sisters had slept. I walked slowly over to my vanity table and took all the photos off of the edge of the mirror, one by one. Photos of friends, family, cars and camping trips were quickly disposed of in the small black garbage can beside my bed. Band posters and wall decals came off the wall as I removed every inch of myself from the room. The only thing I left was my favourite hoodie that should almost fit Annabelle, and the small framed photo of my family and I as we stood in front of Mount Rushmore on our last family vacation before my parents had divorced. Annabelle had been four and Elsie was months away from being born while my sister and I had been in our rebellious teenage years and had spent the whole trip complaining about every small grievance. The trip had been worthwhile in the end and even years later we had reminisced about how my dad had locked the keys in the car and nearly got arrested when a couple of cops had seen him trying to pick the lock. I slipped the photo under the pillows on the air mattress knowing it would be found, and headed back to the kitchen to say my goodbyes.

The hardest part was closing the front door behind, forcing myself not to look over my should where I knew my family was watching from the window. It was only when I reached the end of the driveway that I allowed myself to look back. They all had on brave faces but those weren't going to last long after I left. Saying goodbye to Elsie had been the hardest as all the responsibility was going to fall on her shoulders once more. I couldn't even offer any words of advice as I held her close and urged her to be strong for me, for everyone. Looking back at her I was reminded once again of how young she actually was, and that I needed to do everything I could to make the world right again, if only for her sake.

"I'm never coming back here again." I whispered quietly to myself as Cas placed his hand on my forehead once more and we were transported back to the bleak hotel room. Glancing around at the others, I became aware that tears were now falling freely down my face and I wiped them off as best I could.

"Well," I began. "How about you tell me more about that plan of yours, Dean?"


	8. Drafted Into The War We Started

I own only my characters.

Reviews are always appreciated.

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Dean's plan was easy in theory. Lure Lucifer to where we were, get his guard down and then stab him with Cas' angel blade, right in the back. I didn't want to say it but every flaw stood out glaringly bright. There was no way Lucifer would let his guard down, even around me. Even Dean wasn't confident with this plan, I could see it in his eyes. There was something that bugged me about the whole deal, something he wasn't telling me. I hoped he wasn't going to try and do something stupidly heroic at the last moment but I couldn't be too sure. He still felt too guarded around me; he didn't truly trust me yet. Only around Cas was he fully relaxed. I figured that Cas just brought the best out in everyone. He certainly tried the hardest to appease us all and there was many a moment where Dean and I would be arguing over a specific step and Cas would have to step in and diffuse the situation. The weird thing was he wouldn't even have to say anything, he could just sit down near the table and Dean and I would both stop talking as though it was shameful to yell in front of an angel. I wondered what Dean had been like before the apocalypse, before he lost Sam. Was he more laid back or had he spent his whole life in situations such as this? I had tried asking him about his past many a time but he always stopped me with a well-timed glare.

The biggest flaw in the plan was time. We had no timeline for this to happen and as quick as we wanted to get it over with before things got worse, none of us were prepared. I certainly wasn't. And we spent days like that, going over every step of the plan again and again, finding flaws and never fixing them, ignoring the rest of the world and collapsing into bed each night, watched over by Castiel yet unable to sleep because of the nightmares. I had mine and Dean had his own, though he wouldn't tell me about those either. Crowley dropped by at various points, always looking exhausted and beat up stating that hell was an absolute mess and that it was only a matter of time before the demons rose up against the angels. On the fifth day we got a new visitor. Dean opened the door and waiting patiently outside was a baby-faced man with blond hair and a wiener hut uniform with a nametag that proclaimed "Alfie."

"Samandriel? What are you doing here?" Cas asked looking bewildered.

"Hello Castiel. Uriel sent me. I have something to discuss with you." Samandriel said and Dean stepped to the side to let him in. We all sat around the table and I nearly laughed when Dean and Cas looked expectantly at him, waiting to hang on the every word of a man who must've worked a hotdog stand at some point.

"We need your help stopping Lucifer." Samandriel was very to the point and the others didn't look surprised by this.

"Wait, so everyone wants to kill Lucifer?" I blurted out before I could stop myself and then realized how stupid it sounded. Of course the angels would want to get rid of the devil. Samandriel seemed not to care and only nodded slightly.

"You, Carmen, are the closest we have to a link to him and Dean has more than enough motivation to do it." He was basically affirming what we already knew.

"And why should we do all your dirty work for you?" Dean asked angrily.

"Because we're at war and we need to end this as quickly as possible. The other angels agree that this would be the easiest and quickest way to end this without too much of a mess." Samandriel's calm demeanour never broke but I could see a current of fear running under it. It must be a lot worse out there than any of us realized.

"And what if we refuse to."

"It's not an option. Uriel made that very clear to me." The undercurrent of fear was even stronger this time and I realized that angels weren't the gracious and merciful beings of my childhood. They could be just as ruthless as humans if they had to be.

"I'm not saying yes. Go tell Uriel he can find some other scapegoats because we aren't helping." Dean stood up abruptly and went to go brood over by the window. Samandriel was unfazed by this and turned to me instead.

"Would you like to go for a walk? I have something I need to tell you too." I nodded at this and got up to leave with him.

"Don't forget your knife." Dean didn't look over at me but I appreciated his concern all the same as I picked up the large hunting knife he had given me the day prior. It had apparently been Sam's at one point. Samandriel and I walked along the cement path behind the hotel and he stayed silent for a while, only speaking once it was out of view.

"I've been assigned to you." His words confused me.

"Assigned to me for what?"

"To watch over you. To make sure you won't be killed before you complete this task."

"Like a guardian angel?"

"Sort of." He smiled slightly at me and I felt an odd sense of giddiness at his words. I had my own guardian angel. Of course, this meant that I was headed for potentially perilous situations but none of that mattered because there would be someone extra to help out.

"Well, well, well. Isn't this cute." A sly voice came form behind us and I could see the smirk that would follow it. Samandriel whipped around in shock and glared at the man behind us.

"Lucifer, what are you doing here?" He sounded slightly panicked and I didn't blame him. Neither of us was expecting him to show up before we could come up with another plan.

"Just thought I'd stop by and see how everyone was! I'd put that away if I were you, we wouldn't want you to get hurt." Lucifer nodded at Samandriel's hand where a long blade had appeared. An angel blade like the one Cas had talked about.

"I can't let you leave Lucifer. This ends here." Samandriel raised the angel blade slightly and positioned himself in front of me so my view of Lucifer was blocked.

"I forgot how cocky fledglings could be. Give them the slightest bit of authority and their egos outgrow their logic." Lucifer shook his head exasperatedly before disappearing. After a few seconds of being gone, Samandriel loosened his grip on his angel blade and turned around to face me.

"Where did he-?" He never finished his question as Lucifer appeared again behind him, wrenched his angel blade from his hand, plunging it deep into his chest. Blinding bright lights poured out of Samandriel's eyes and mouths for a few seconds before he collapsed onto the ground. I stared at Lucifer in horror and was surprised to see regret in his eyes. Without thinking I unsheathed my hunting knife and lunged at Lucifer who sidestepped my attack easily and grabbed a hold of my wrist. My betrayal was reflected all too clearly in his eyes as with one small twist of his arm , he snapped my wrist and sent the angel blade skittering across the pavement. I shrieked in pain and fell to the ground beside Samandriel's body, sobbing and clutching my wrist. And that's where Dean and Cas found me a few minutes later; curled up in the fetal position, my tears falling onto the blackened outlines of Samandriel's wings where they would be forever imprinted onto the concrete.

"What happened?" Dean asked incredulously as he struggled to process what he was seeing. Still sobbing heavily, I could only get out a few choice words.

"We're at war."


	9. Sympathy For The Devil

I own only my own characters.

Reviews are like ice cream, great in large amounts and always impossible to find an analogy for at 1:30 am.

I'm also aware that I may be making several grammatical errors in any chapter of my story but I can't always catch them so I apologize if there's any glaringly obvious mistakes that I've missed.

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All our plans came to a halt at that moment and two days passed with little to no action. I blamed myself, having not gotten out of bed during that time and also refusing Cas' help with fixing my wrist. Bandaging it up with hotel linens wasn't ideal and hurt like hell but I felt I deserved it. The pain gave me something to feel. All other senses felt dulled following that afternoon and I could tell it concerned Dean. Even so, he seemed unsurprised when I announced I was leaving.

"I just can't stay here anymore." He sat at the table as I said this, laptop open even though there hadn't been WiFi for weeks now.

"No need to explain, I get it. Go." His voice was oddly emotionless.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you get your brother back."

"I am too," He gave me a sad smile. " See you again someday?"

"Definitely. Tell Cas I said goodbye." With that I left, not knowing what I was looking for but knowing the only way I could find it was to keep moving forward. And that's just what I did. Wandering for days, I stopped only to sleep on the side of the road or, if I was lucky, in the hollow of a dead tree. There were no hotels here for me. Food was scarce but none of that mattered. I wasn't looking for my family anymore. I wasn't looking for salvation. I was looking to see if I could still look, to see if there was anything left out there for me. But I wasn't weak or anything, don't get me wrong, I was just done. Fed up. I wanted nothing more to do with the apocalypse, to do with anyone. Alone I was able to see what had happened to the world. Abandoned cars littered the road in various states of decay. Buildings with smashed windows and faded graffiti lined every broken sidewalk. The funny thing was that they all said the same thing, "God is gone." It was almost believable now. Was God really just standing by while the angels and demons tore each other to shreds and the humans hid out of sight? I hadn't bothered to ask Lucifer or Castiel so I figured that I would never truly know the answer to that.

It was by the seventh or eighth day, I had really lost count at that point, that I came across another group of people. At first I thought I was hallucinating, spending too much time alone in a desolate world can really cause your mind to play tricks on you, but as I got closer I was proven wrong. There were five of them, dressed to the nines in torn plaid jackets and dirty, ripped jeans. All of them had the same haggard look on their faces and were trying to break into a convenience store. The grin that spread across my face startled me, I had spent so much time without human contact that I had almost believed it to be preferable and now I craved human contact. My pace quickened and I found myself near jogging to reach them. My time away from humans also must've made me forget how untrusting people could become in dire straits. A handgun, two axes, a baseball bat embedded with nails and a pitchfork were all brought into view as the owners eyed me cautiously. I immediately slowed to a stop.

"Whoa, it's okay. I just wanted to see what you guys were up to, I'm unarmed, I swear." This wasn't entirely true. Sam's hunting knife was tucked into the back of my pants but it was no match against the rest of them so they really didn't need to know that. There was only silence as they looked me up and down, detecting any hint of a threat and I desperately hope that my jacket was covering the handle of the knife. It would be too suspicious to try and check now.

"Seriously, I'm not here to hurt you. I just, I just need people to be with, to journey with for a while. And my food rations have been running a little low lately…." I tried to diffuse the situation to no avail.

"What makes you thing we have any to give you?" The speaker was the sole woman of the group. Wiry and gaunt, the most alive thing about her was her fiery brown eyes that danced every which way as she spoke, never settling on one object for more than a couple seconds.

"I didn't mean that, I would help you find food it would've just being nice to have some company doing it…" I felt more and more uncomfortable as the group's atmosphere changed drastically. I was no longer the predator, I was now the prey. The man with the gun took a step towards me, raising the glock to eye level and viewing me with a crazed sort of hunger in his eyes.

"Maybe she's got more food than she's letting on. Maybe she steals it from people like us, infiltrating their group and slitting their throats in the middle of the night when they think it's safe. She's a liar, I can see her knife." The man said as he rested his finger on the trigger. With its presence now known, I pulled the knife out and held it defensively in front of me. This was a stupid move as it only made the tension worse and having a broken wrist really put me at a disadvantage.

"Save me a leg, they look so juicy!" The man with the baseball bat spoke up and lipped his lips suggestively. His face had the mean, pinched look of a weasel and a hungry one at that. Is this really what the apocalypse does to people? Apparently it's not just in movies.

"Look, I'm just gonna go. I'm sorry to have bothered you." Fear rose in my throat and I fought to steady my voice as I backed up slowly, unwilling to turn my back to them. The group advanced with my every move though, not moving quickly but enough so that the distance between us was rapidly closing. Feeling as though I were at the end of the line, I closed my eyes and waited for the shot to ring out, knowing the bullet would hit before the sound even reached me. A sound did emerge, just not the one I was expecting. It was the kind of noise you here when you get hit with a water balloon. It even felt as though I had been hit with a water balloon as a splash of disturbingly warm liquid coated me entirely. Then the screaming started. Opening my eyes I saw red and where the man with the gun had been standing was nothing more than a puddle of blood and chunks of skin. The remains looked exactly like my hairstylist's did the first night I met Lucifer.

_Lucifer._

Unable to control my smiling, I turned my Cheshire cat grin onto the woman as she screamed louder than a banshee. Only for a moment though, and then she too met the same fate. The owners of the two axes both tried to make a run for it but only succeeded in putting a new coat of paint on the convenience store they had been trying to get into. The only one left was the weasel-faced man. His hands gripped his bat tightly and his breath puffed out heavy steam clouds in the crisp morning air but to his credit, he didn't try in run.

"You'll die with the others." He growled at me before being reduced to fertilizer. His words unnerved me but I turned around happily in anticipation of seeing Lucifer again. I hadn't really realized it but I had missed him. Sure he had killed Samandriel and I would never forgive him for that, but he had just saved my life and deserved some credit. Unfortunately for me, when I faced him I was met with a stormy glare. It wasn't the angriest I'd ever seen him but he certainly did not share my glee.

"You're mad at me." It was all too obvious. I had tried to kill him after all, that's not something easily forgotten.

"How perceptive of you." His tone of voice was reminiscent of frost creeping up a window on a dark winter's day.

"And yet you seem to assume that only you are allowed to be mad. Let me guess, you're waiting for me to grovel at your feet and expect nothing in return." There were things he couldn't forgive me for and things I couldn't forgive him for. That's just the way it was. I wasn't going to adhere to any of his social rules in order to get my name back in his good books. That's not who I am.

"No, I'm just waiting to see if you'll try and stab me again." His hardened facade cracked as the old, familiar smirk spread across his face. We were all right again, though not in any normal sense. It was in the way that putting a bandage on a scratch might fix things; covering up the initial wound but sooner or later the blood was gonna soak through. Nevertheless he held out his hand and I took it, vowing never again to let go.


	10. 5 Tips On Conning Your Way Into Battle

I own only my own characters!

I'm reaching the end of this fanfic, probably only three or four more chapters but thank you to everyone who has followed, faved or reviewed this. Even to those who just simply read it.

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Lucifer led me through the streets and down to a small alleyway behind a cluster of law offices. Walking into the centre he stopped and just stood there, not saying anything and certainly not indicating as to what the hell he was doing. I stood behind him for about twenty minutes before getting bored and sitting on the edge of a dumpster. The minutes ticked past and I found myself getting increasingly fidgety and yet Lucifer never so much as blinked where he stood. Just as I was about to say something, about thirty people suddenly appeared around us. Thirty demons that is. Two appeared directly in front of Lucifer, between them stood another man, chained up and beaten quite badly. It wasn't difficult to tell who it was.

"Crowley!" I yelped from my spot on the dumpster causing several heads to turn in my direction. Crowley looked over too and shook his head slightly, warning me not to do anything.

"We brought him, just like you asked!" Said the overly eager demon on Crowley's right. I could almost see the "I Heart Lucifer" tattoo on him.

"Hello Crowley. How nice to see you again. Last I heard you were shacking up with Dean Winchester and trying to turn all the demons against me. Does that sound right?" Lucifer's tone was light but I could hear the threat behind it. Crowley seemed to be weighing his words carefully.

"Well I wouldn't exactly say that now would I. I'd say I was more…mingling with the other side, trying to find their tactics and all that." Crowley was desperately trying to save face and it wasn't working.

"You stole from me too, Crowley. And that's one thing that really pisses me off," Lucifer reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a knife. "It's a shame, I liked you. You had potential to be great,"

"NO!" I screamed and jumped from my spot. I tried to run over to Crowley but a pair of arms held me back.

"DON'T KILL HIM. PLEASE, HE DOESN"T DESERVE IT!" I pleaded with Lucifer, my mind flashing back to all the times Crowley would visit Dean, Cas and I at the hotel. He never had fully trusted me but took it upon himself to make sure the others were at least bothering to feed me every once and awhile. Lucifer lowered the knife but only slightly.

"Looks like you have a fan. Well, Crowley, it's your lucky day. I won't kill you… yet…. And besides, we need to send a message to the others." The knife was brought up once more and I shut my eyes but couldn't block my ears against the yells of pain that filled the alleyway. The heavy, metallic smell of blood filled the air and the demon holding my arms back had to point me away from the crowd as I started heaving. When it was over I was surprised that Crowley was still alive, there was hardly an inch of him left unmarked. Words carved deep into the flesh of his face that I could read due to the severity of the blood flow but I had some idea as to what they said. The demons holding on to Crowley, now supporting him as he sunk low to the ground, took him away, presumably back to Sam and Dean, leaving nothing more than a pool of blood in their place. Most of the demons erupted in cheers but Lucifer kept a calm face. How not a single drop of blood had fallen on his white suit was beyond me. And thinking back on it, I realized that I had never once seen a mark on it.

"Meg, take Carmen back to her room, would you? I think she's had enough for one day." Lucifer said to the demon holding on to me. The alleyway dissolved away and I found myself not in the beige hotel this time, but a rather dark room with a barred window and way too many deadbolts on the door. Meg looked carefully around the cramped quarters before settling herself down on the small, single bed.

"So, how's Clarence?"

"Pardon?" I stared at her in confusion. I didn't know anyone named Clarence.

"Sorry, I meant how's Castiel? You were with him for awhile right?"

"Yeah, and he was fine, I guess. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. Just someone I used to know and was curious about now." Meg shrugged her shoulders and shifted around on the bed. I had to give her credit, she was excellent at keeping her cool.

"Why am I here? Why are there bars on the window? What do the symbols on the wall mean?" My questions all came out in one rush and she stared at me blankly until I repeated myself, slower this time.

"The symbols, as with every other safety device in here, are for your protection. They keep angels out. When you were with Dean you probably came across a few to work against demons, you just didn't realize it. Father is taking extra precautions to make sure you don't get abducted again. Because, unfortunately for you, you're clearly incapable of handling those situations on your own, as was demonstrated. Also unfortunately, you're confined to this room until he gives word that it's safe to release you into the wild once more."

"He's locking me up? I'm not sleeping beauty and he sure doesn't own me. Tell him to take the goddamn locks off the door or I'll break them off using his fucking head!" I finished with a huff and Meg gave me a look of admiration.

"I like you, you've got sass. Although you really think he's is going to listen to you? I don't know what his attachment to you is but he's determined not to let you die." Meg shook her head in exasperation and stood up, promising to return shortly, and disappeared. Alone and quarantined my nerves were quickly strung tight and I found myself pacing endlessly. Sure there was a fully stocked bookshelf and TV at my disposal but none of it could hold my attention. I wanted out. I needed to find out just what the hell was going on with the angels and demons. What was the reason behind their fighting? Did they even know anymore? I found myself questioning Lucifer too, how could he go from saving my life to torturing the hell out of one of his own demons? Sure, he had betrayed him but nothing that warranted death. I had always considered myself one of the good guys and now here I was, a true Satanist. There was no other word for it, I was friends with Satan and that's just the way it was.

After a few hours alone with my thoughts, I was aware of a presence that entered the room. Expecting Meg, I was only slightly disappointed to see Lucifer.

"Oh. You. Come to let me out now?" My voice was too hopeful, perhaps.

"No, I came to make sure you weren't trying to saw through the bars with a bobby pin. Meg made it all too clear that you weren't exactly pleased with me."

_Traitor_.

"Well serves you right, you can't just lock me away while you go fight your battle somewhere and expect me to be content to wait. I'm no damsel in distress and you're hardly a knight in shining armour." I really needed to remember to stop insulting him. Thankfully, he seemed unfazed.

" Careful, unless you want to end up like Crowley. And I wouldn't call it my battle, rather, yours. You humans started this whole mess and now the big guys have to come and clean it up. Father should've gone over his recipe a bit more before deciding that the batch was right. He added a little too much spite and laziness to you." He looked at me contemplatively, as though expecting my face to reveal exactly what had gone wrong with the human chocolate chip cookies. Or banana bread. Whatever God had decided to make the day he created the universe.

"Right, so why are you fighting the angels then? Shouldn't you be kicking our asses instead of theirs? I mean, clearly some of them deserve it but if it's not your fight, then why bother at all? You could be sun tanning in Hell right now!" My sass had not worn off yet and it was a miracle the four horsemen weren't currently on their way to hand me my own ass to me on a silver platter. Lucifer had more patience than I thought.

"You haven't listened to a single word I just said. We tried to sit back but you guys just made things worse. Besides, the world will be a much better place once I have the run of it," His patience was apparently wearing thin, made obvious by the tightening of his jaw. "And just so you're aware, I was locked up in Hell before the apocalypse, there was no sun tanning. My freedom is up here and so here is where I intend to stay." He left just as the last word exited his mouth. I sat down on the bed and spent the next couple hours staring at the ceiling until Meg came back with food. We chatted for a while until I announced my need for the bathroom and Meg unlocked the door and pointed in a vague direction down the long hallway that appeared behind it. She was busy reading a Cosmo magazine article on cheating boyfriends and so I took the hint that she wasn't going to escort. I walked cautiously down the hallway; it was dimly lit and seemed to go on for miles, staring at each door as I passed. They were all unmarked but I was too scared to open them and check to see if it was the bathroom. I passed a partially open door and heard Lucifer's voice float through it.

"You can help me, you have the power to."

"I will not make an exception for you, Lucifer. You know I won't and I will not involve myself in your endeavours to destroy my career," A curt voice answered him. "You forget that if you destroy this planet, you get rid of all my clientele. Yes, there'll be a rush of them all at once, but after that there's nothing left for me to do."

I peeked in through the crack of the door and saw Lucifer glaring agitatedly at an older man in a suit.

"Don't make me bind you to me."

"I'd like to see you try. And it looks like we have company." The man nodded in my direction and Lucifer turned around to look. My cheeks flushed in embarrassment as I back away from the door quickly.

"No use trying to hide, Carmen. Come in." Lucifer's voice was still strained but he managed a small smile at me.

"I was just trying to find the bathroom and got lost…" I trailed off awkwardly and stared at the wall.

"It is rather confusing to find. I'm Death, by the way." I turned and looked at the man in shock.

"Death? Like the grim reaper? That's a grim job…." I didn't mean to say the last bit but it slipped out.

"It's actually quite enjoyable and just Death will do. The reapers are entirely different people." He looked at me sadly which seemed odd as he had been so neutral before. Was I that hideous that the sight of my face made Death wanna cry? Ouch.

"Where is Meg anyways? She was supposed to be watching you." Lucifer's scrutinizing look made me even more uncomfortable.

"Reading up on '5 Ways To Tell He's Sleeping With His Boss'. I didn't want to disturb her so I left on my own. And I should probably go find the bathroom and get back to my room before you kill me….Or Meg for that matter," I began to shuffle in the direction of the door. "Oh, I'm being rude. It was nice to meet you Death. I would say 'see you again soon' but I really don't want to. That would not mean good things for me." Death gave me a small smile and mumbled something under his breath that I couldn't hear but made Lucifer narrow his eyes. Exiting the room, I found the bathroom after another twenty minutes of searching. After what seemed like another hour on top of that, I was back in my room again, which was void of Meg. She had left and taken the magazine with her, go figure.

I decided that sleep was the next best thing for me but Lucifer appeared, again, in my room before I could doze off.

"Do you mind?" I asked in a pissed voice, I actually was very tired.

"Just thought I'd inform you that no one will be around much tomorrow. I'll send someone in to check on you if I can but there's a rather nasty confrontation with the angels taking place and so we'll all be a bit easy." He said this as easily as discussing the weather.

"And? Take me with you! Why do I have to stay locked up, I wanna see this." I saw a flash of fear cross through his eyes but he covered it up quickly.

"No. There will most likely be fighting and you'll most likely be decapitated. I'd rather you stay here where I know you won't get in between two angels."

"But…"

"End of discussion, go to bed." He left before I could protest anymore and I sank into the uncomfortable bed once more, all trace of exhaustion gone. I replayed the very short argument in my head over and over, adding in my own retorts that I should've said at the time. Halfway through one where my great comeback involved comparing the size of his penis to a fruit fly, Meg appeared and switched out the magazine she was holding with another one on the bookshelf.

"MEG!" I shouted suddenly and clambered to the end of the bed. She jumped, not realizing I was awake, and gave me a scared look as she took in my ecstatic expression.

"Ummmm, are you ok?"

"I need you to do me a big favour." It just occurred to me that Meg was truly my one ticket out.

"What?"

"Get me out of here tomorrow so I can join the fight! Lucifer won't let me go but what he doesn't know won't hurt him." Unfortunately, she shook her head vehemently at the suggestion.

"No way, this is gonna be bad enough as it is and father would be more than royally pissed if-when- he found out. Sorry, kid, you're stuck in here."

"Pleeeaaassseee. Don't make me beg! I promise I won't get into trouble and I'll lie and say it wasn't you. I just really need to see this." She looked thoughtful and I felt my hopes rise.

"I won't be babysitting you. You'll be on your own so if you get in trouble you can't come crying to me."

"That's fine! Jesus, why do all of you assume I'm so weak?" She flinched at the word "Jesus" and I felt bad for a second but it didn't seem to change her mind.

"Fine! I'll do it. You wait here like a good little girl and don't give any indication of what I'm doing. I mean it, one small word and we're both dead. I'll be back for you in the morning and watch your language next time, it physically hurts me when you swear like that…." She left the room and I collapsed on the bed again, this time giddy with happiness. A part of me was terrified about what would happen, and the all too real threat of death loomed not far behind but none of that mattered as I drifted off to sleep. My nightmare returned with full vengeance, replaying over and over, Alannah's face morphing every time I woke up and then tried to close my eyes again. She kept transforming into everyone I knew and my night was haunted by my family, Dean, Cas, Samandriel, Crowley and Lucifer. It only stopped when I felt someone shake my shoulder and Meg's voice hissed in my ear.

"Get up! It's time to go!"


	11. An Uneasy Start With No End In Sight

I was hoping to post this chapter earlier but had a hard time figuring out what to write. Inspiration doesn't come easy when it's not midnight.

Anyways, I only own my own characters and reviews are always nice!

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I bolted up so quickly that Meg had to dodge out of the way to avoid getting hit.

"We're leaving now? Can't I get ready first?"

"No time. Things are moving quicker than expected. Put this on and take this. Don't ask what I did to get it back." She threw me a dark hoodie and Sam's knife. I pulled the hoodie over my head and put the hood up as instructed. As I was tucking the knife into the back of the jeans, Meg went over to the window and pulled a couple of the bars off and punched a hole through the glass. She knocked out pieces until the hole was big enough for a human to fit through.

"Just something to save my ass if father realizes you're gone." She explained as I looked at her quizzically. Without another word she reached over and grabbed hold of my arm. Shielding my eyes from the suddenly bright sunlight, I looked around our new surroundings and noticed we were milling about with around 100 other people.

"SHIT! Too close!" Meg grabbed my arm again but this time proceeded to drag me into some a gap between two buildings.

"What's going on? Where's the big confrontation and where the hell is Lucifer?" This seemed way too small scale to be the big battle everyone was hyped up about.

"This isn't Braveheart, kid. They've been fighting for a week already, we're just backup. Lucifer isn't coming until the other archangels arrive which is conveniently today." Several large explosions sounded off in the distance drowning out most of her speech.

"I'm gonna have to leave you now. Don't do anything stupid, don't get killed, and stay the hell out of the way," She smirked. "See you later, I'll catch up with you when this is all over." With that she was gone, running towards the group of demons that were heading towards the direction of the explosions. I waited a few minutes before following, making sure that my face was covered and my knife was easily accessible. As we got closer to the focal point of the fighting, I could see just how much damage had been done; large chunks were missing from most of the building, their walls scorched and windows blown out. Bodies littered the streets and the sidewalks were stained with dried blood. Those engaged in combat were literally ripping at each other's throats, growling obscenities as they attempt to dismantle their opponents. It was the first time in my life that I ever had to dodge flying limbs.

Skirting around the edges, I kept a view from afar, watching as Meg tore a chunk of flesh out of an angel's face before plunging a knife, one that looked exactly like the one Lucifer used to kill Samandriel with, deep into its chest. Bright lights shot out of the angel's eyes and mouth before it collapsed on the ground in a heap. The whole are was filled with lights like those as angels fell. Even more present were the clouds of black smoke that marked wherever a demon had died. I hung close to the edge of a post office before a couple of familiar faces caught my eye; Dean and Cas had joined the fray. I raced over to go see them and when Cas caught my eye he ran to meet me, but only to slam me back against the post office.

"What are you doing here? It's not safe!" Cas hissed as he shielded me from the fighting.

"Leave her alone, Cas! If she wants to help, let her." Dean's voice floated over us and I looked over to see him wink at me. I giggled and Cas loosened his grip and took a couple steps back.

"Just stay out of the way, the angels are much stronger than you and they won't hesitate to kill you." Cas gave me a long, searching look before stalking off to help a fellow angel that was being cornered by five demons. Dean stopped to give my shoulder a reassuring squeeze before following him. I stuck close to the edge of the buildings as I moved along to find a better vantage point. Just as I was about to climb on top of a dumpster overlooking a cage match between three angels who didn't seem to realize they were on the same team, a demon popped out in front of me, black eyes glistening and knife directed at my head. I quickly reached for my knife but before either of us could do anything more, a blade slid quickly through the demon's chest. As he fell to the ground I noticed an angel standing behind him. The angel had ruffled blonde hair and a kind face but was wearing a V-neck that was cut way too low.

"You're not a demon are you? Not an angel either. But what is a human like you doing here?" He spoke with a British accent and eyed me curiously.

"I came with….." Saying Lucifer would be a bad idea so I quickly thought of someone else. "Ummm….Castiel. I'm a friend of his and came along to help out."

"He's never mentioned you before. Well no matter, I'm Balthazar and you're welcome."

"Pardon?"

" I just saved your life. Isn't it common courtesy to thank someone for doing that?"

"Oh…well, thank you?" It came out as a question but he didn't seem to mind.

"You're welcome, again. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to tearing up some demons. You should to, it's really not helpful if you just stand around in the shadows all day." He walked off again leaving me both confused and slightly relieved that he hadn't tried to kill me. I had to be more careful from now on, Cas had been right. Not only was everyone else here stronger than me, but also only a few were actually paying attention to who they were killing. I made my way into an apartment building, quickly scaling to the top floor where I could watch in safety. The day wore on and the body count grew but seemed equally matched on either side. The most amazing thing was how they never seemed to tire and would always go back into the fight regardless of their injuries. I watched as a demon with no legs dragged herself over to an angel and stabbed him in the back before having her head crushed by another. It was then that I noticed something disturbing. All he dead angels, all the dead demons, the leftover remains were all just human in the end. I remembered Cas telling me about vessels and I realized that humans were being brought into the fight against their will, with truly no hope of survival. They suffered the greatest casualties in all this. The man in the corner with his neck snapped off to the side had been a dad at some point. The woman with no limbs had been a teacher. They all had stories, they all had families and that had been torn away from them so the higher powers could finish some stupid, little grudge match. I scanned the buildings up and down the street, wondering how many other people were hidden inside, waiting and hoping for the fighting to finally cease. I felt sick as I viewed the scene below with a new light; the humans were just puppets. The human race hadn't asked for this, it wasn't our fault and Lucifer was wrong about us starting everything. This was all on the angels and all on the demons. And it needed to stop.

At that moment a face popped up in the ninth floor window of the apartment building directly across the street from me. It was a little girl, she was watching the fight as I was and by chance caught my eye. There was nothing but fear in her face and I was reminded of my sister, Elsie, and how she had looked when I told her that it was her responsibility to take care of the family once I left. It was the face of someone who was caught in the middle of a situation much larger than they could handle. At that moment I knew what to do, the only way I could help. I wasn't going to save the angels or aid the demons; I couldn't do either of that. But I could save my own race.

I could at least try.


	12. Never Trust An Angel

I own only my own characters!

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I raced out of the apartment and down onto the street, colliding directly into Meg.

"Hey! What did I tell you about staying out of the way?" We both ducked to avoid getting hit by a flying Mitsubishi.

"I need your help! Come with me!" Not giving her the chance to reply, I dragged her over to the apartment building across the street and ducked inside the doors managing to remain unseen. Once inside, the noise outside was muffled substantially and I had to take a few minutes to adjust to the darkness of the hallways.

"Why are we here exactly?" Meg said as she examined the intricately carved wooden banisters that trailed up the winding staircase.

"Because I saw something, let's go!" I grabbed her hand again and pulled her up the stairs, our roles reversing halfway when I started to lost steam. By the time we reached the ninth floor, she was all but dragging me up.

"It's really not that many stairs."

"Oh shut up!" I made my way to what I approximated to be the door I saw across the street. Opening the door slightly, I heard several seconds of frantic footsteps before it all went quiet again. I opened the door all the way to reveal an empty room. However, more scuffling from behind the large mahogany (or was it chestnut?) bookshelf made me believe that it wasn't so void of people. Treading carefully over towards it, I peeked over the edge to see five faces looking back up at me. A group of kids had taken refuge in the building; the oldest being around thirteen and the youngest looking barely a year old.

"Please Leave." A boy of about four piped up in a tone that was nothing but polite.

"No, no, no, I can help you. I can get you to safety." This wasn't entirely the truth. I hadn't worked out the exact details of how I'd smuggle them out, but it seemed like the right thing to say.

"How? How can we possibly leave here safely?" A girl who looked to be nine retorted with a look that reminded me all too much of Lucifer's bitch face.

"I…..I have help?" I pointed in the vague direction of Meg who had a disgusted look on her face.

"I hate kids…" She mumbled to herself and I heard a murmur run through the group. I realized quickly that they were saying "one of them." They knew she was a demon. This made my chances of them actually agreeing to leave a lot smaller.

"Ok, I'm going to make this perfectly clear, from now on this is a judgement free zone. We don't have to like each other but we have to trust each other. The fact is, I'm getting you out of here whether you like it or not," The children looked as though I had slapped them but I ignored it and turned to Meg. "Grab two, we have to leave now before this building takes anymore damage." She looked disgusted again but grudgingly obliged and grabbed the arms of the four year old and nine year old. This left me with the thirteen year old, who was clutching the baby tightly, and another boy around eight years old who took my hand willingly. I whisked them down the stairs, trying desperately hard not to fall, and back out into the sunlight. I immediately felt resistance as I tried to pull them through the crowd, but a couple of well-timed shoves from Meg got them going again. By some miracle we managed to make our way through without getting caught and before long, Meg was leading us down some side street that opened up into a deserted neighbourhood. She ran off somewhere but I didn't pay any attention. My main concern was the kids.

"You're gonna have to run from here on out. Stick to the alleys and don't bring too much attention to yourself. Do you have food?" The eldest girl nodded at my question so I turned to face her directly. "Ration it carefully, I mean it. Who knows when you'll find more. Also, Do you have a weapon?" Another nod. This time she reached into the bag she had strung over her back and brought out a massive machete.

"Ok, bigger weapon than I thought. Honest to God, I thought you were gonna pull out a butter knife. Anyways, keep that where it will be easy for you to grab but not easy to steal. And the most important part, don't be afraid to use it. I mean it, whoever gets in your way, cut them down. It doesn't matter who they are or what they want, just take them down. I-" The rest of my sentence was cut of by the roar of a car engine. Meg drove slowly up to us in a giant, white Range Rover.

"Just thought you'd want to run away a bit faster. No guarantee you'll be able to find a gas station but it's almost a full tank so that should at least get you out of the vicinity. That and I've always wanted to try hot wiring a car." She smirked and exited the vehicle, throwing the keys to the teenager who nearly dropped them. It took a few minutes but we eventually got them all strapped in (improvising a car seat with a cardboard box for the baby) and sent them on their way, watching the car until it disappeared from view.

"Guess we should head back. There's asses to kick still." Meg said smiling as we made our way back to the battlefield. We were about three quarters of the way there when I noticed she wasn't following me anymore. I turned around, about to tell her to hurry up, when I noticed she was standing very still and had an expression of horror on her face. I stepped towards her in concern and she fell forwards, a knife sticking straight out of her back.

"Meg? Meg! It's okay, you're all right!" I spoke frantically as I tore the knife out and flipped her on her back. Despite my repeated screams and nudges to her shoulder, she didn't move and stared sightlessly up into the sky. I sat with her for a long while until a hand rested gently on my shoulder. I looked up to see Crowley.

"C'mon, love, get up. No use crying over a dead demon." He spoke softly and pulled me back up to my feet. The cuts that Lucifer had made all over his face were healed, but the scars stood boldly. They were written in a language I couldn't understand and Mark noticed my con fusion.

"Enochian; language of the angels. I'm not so fluent in it but I know when I'm being called a traitor." He shrugged, unperturbed by it.

"I'm sorry he did that to you…" I whispered quietly and hung my head in shame.

"He's the devil, sweetheart. He could've done a lot worse. Not let's get going before the damn snipers get one of us." He scanned the rooftops with unease and hurried me back to the fight. I didn't understand how it would be safer to be smack dab in the middle of the fray but I didn't feel much like questioning him. As soon as we were close enough to hear the explosions again, he left and I was forced to walk back into the battle myself, feeling more and more lost the further I went in. I felt detached as I viewed the destruction. I took care to step around the scorched wing marks the lay burnt on the sidewalk every few feet along. I didn't recognize any of the bodies until I came across Balthazar's. He was lying next a short angel with golden eyes. I felt a twinge of sadness as I looked at his body; he had saved my life after all. I continued on my walk a bit more before being stopped again, this time by an angel using a small boy as a vessel. A blade was gripped tightly in his hand and he viewed me with curiosity. My hand automatically went for my knife but I dropped it on the ground as soon as I unsheathed it. I couldn't hurt a little kid, I couldn't hurt anyone for that matter. I knelt down so we were looking eye to eye and extended my hand out for him to shake. He repaid the gesture by plunging his blade deep into my chest.


	13. Carry On

I own only my own characters!

I'm planning on one more chapter after this.

As always, Reviews are appreciated!

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The handle sat perfectly poised just a couple inches below my ribcage, taunting me with my own mortality. I stared at it for a few moments before falling backwards and hitting the pavement with a dull thud. I could feel the blood seeping through the back of my clothes and could almost see it extending beyond my shoulder blades forming wings just as Alannah's blood had. Had her death and the subsequent nightmares served as a premonition for my own demise? I then understood, this was the reason Death had given me that look when he first met me, he knew this was gonna happen all along.

And then Lucifer was there, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close to his as I clutched his suit jacket tightly in both hands. As gently as he could, he slid the knife out of my chest and dropped it on the ground beside us. The movement caused a fresh wave of pain to radiate through my body and blood began to flow out much quicker, staining his white suit a ghastly red. I couldn't understand why he wasn't healing me though, didn't archangels, all angels, have that power?

"Lucifer…..please…" The rest of the fighting seemed to fade around us as I pleaded with him softly and stared into his face. It looked so foreign to me now, with the tears streaming down it from eyes filled with an ancient sadness that showed centuries of pain. I wanted him to smile, tell me that it was all joke and I was going to be fine because none of this was real. The words he spoke were much different from what I hoped them to be.

"I was wrong, this isn't your fight and you shouldn't have to be involved anymore. But don't be scared, where you're going is beautiful and you'll be happy, I promise. Everything will be ok.." He repeated the last sentence over and over again, his voice growing softer each time until I had to strain to hear it. It occurred to me that he may have been trying to reassure himself as much as he was trying to reassure me. And we stayed like that for what felt like hours, him cradling me as I slowly lost strength and watched as the blood spread across his suit forming a pattern not unlike the branches of a tree. My vision dimmed suddenly and a new found sense of panic griped me as I tried to muster up the strength to speak again.

"Lucifer, I…" The last two words caught in my throat as a sudden light off to the side caught my attention. I watched in awe as the wings of all the angels began to form on their backs as they fought. Even the dead ones on the ground developed shadows the flapped in the breeze. They all rose tall and powerful, exuding a bright light that varied with every angel. The demons had changed too, their eyes were still as black as coal but now they burned with embers from a fire deep within each of them. It danced across their irises, each pair of eyes becoming a small window into hell. A man in a suit appeared beside us, and I immediately felt honoured when I realized it was Death waiting to escort me himself. He held a hand out patiently but I tore my eyes away to look over at Lucifer again. His wings were the most magnificent of all. They were ravaged and twisted yet held more light than a million stars. I wanted to reach up and touch one but my hands refused to move.

"Lucifer, they're beautiful…" My last words came out in a short breath of air, so quiet I feared that he didn't hear them. But he finally smiled with a dazzling brightness that matched his wings and I felt peaceful as I stared into his- no, Sam's- face one last time. Closing my eyes, I felt a pair of lips press against my forehead, sending me spiralling into Death's cold embrace.


	14. A Place To Call Home

One last time, I only own my own characters.

This chapter is short but I wanted to add an epilogue of sorts to the story.

Once again, thank you to everyone who read, followed, faved, or reviewed this story. It means a lot to me.

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A year ago I would've laughed in the face of anyone who told me I would end up here.

And yet, as Lucifer said, I find myself happy. It's not something I would have ever imagined myself to be after I've died. The idea of spending eternity in one place by myself never seemed too appealing.

I miss my family,

I miss Dean,

I miss Cas,

I miss Crowley and Meg.

I miss Lucifer.

As I don't know what's happening on the earth below, I couldn't tell you if they were still fighting, who's dead or still alive. I do know that I'll never see Lucifer again.

Part of me wants to be in Hell, as awful as that sounds, just so I could see him again. Call it stupid but it would be a lie for me to say otherwise. Even I understand how ridiculous it is to want an eternity of damnation just so someone can smirk at me as they turn my oatmeal into beetles. Not that I'd be eating oatmeal in Hell, but the point still stands. I hate the finality of death; once it happens, that's it, you lose everything. Even as I sit here in this clearing, the one I first met Lucifer in, with its towering oaks and beautiful blue flowers, it doesn't feel real. Everything is exactly how I remember it and yet I yearn for more. I imagine there is more beyond the forest borders, but I can't bring myself to leave the clearing, for now at least. I remember Cas telling me about how every person got their own little chunk of heaven to occupy, separate from one another.

Maybe one day I'll find a way to travel to the different heavens. Maybe I will get to see everyone again.

Until that day arrives I'll just have to sit here, thinking of what was and could never be, and wait for an angel in a trench coat to stop by and give me a way out.


End file.
